Intaglio-printing.



`H: A. w. woon.

INTAGLIO PRINTING.

APPLICATION HLE ma. 8. 1901.

LQQ Patented May 25, 19M.

all

estaras rara entrea HENRY a. wr'sn' woon, or Nnw Yoan, N. Y., As'sreNon r.ro woon a NATHAN courrant', or New Yoan, N. r.. a oonronarror or NEW Yoan.

IN'rAenrowrnrNrrNe.

annesso.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, Iwff .application led; February 1907?. Serial hic. 856,311?.

To all whom it may concern: t

Be itknown that l, HENRY A. WISE Woon, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful improvement in intaglio-Printing, of which the following is a specification.

intaglio printing is ordinarily done byl ameter grows so smalll as to make 'it useless.

At this time it has to be thrown away, and' the loss in copper is an important item in operating these printing machines.

As is well known the surface speed of an impression cylinder and its printing surface must be the same. 1lhis of course is not possible if the printing cylinder is con stantly being reduced in diameter, unless there is no gearing between the two, as is in accordance with `the practice in making silk and cotton prints, and also' l believe, for wall-paper, or unless there is a resilient connection between themas l have described in my application for patent, lSerial No. eraf/i7, ined Dee. 27, 190e.

It is desirable in many instances that a rigid connection be maintained between the two cylinders, and there are other cases where a resilient connection may not yield far enough to permit the entire thickness of the shell to be used up.

The principal object then of the present invention is-to provide a means whereby the shell may be used up more closely than has been the case heretofore, and this l accomplish by providing for keeping the cylindrical surface of the plate or shell at a constant outside diameter or radius of curvature; y

This invention is especially adapted for use in rotary machines in which the impression and prlnting cylinders are geared togetherv to run at a'constant ratio, but itis also applicable to those in which a yielding connection' is provided' in order to more fully carry out the objects of the same. y

In order. to provide for preparing curved intaglio' printing plates, which term is intended' to include printing cylinders or shells, for taking successive imprints, l' increase the inside radius of the plate and hold the plate on the printing cylinder or arbor in its expanded state; This may be done by supplying a backing to fill .in the space left by' increasing the radius which in my preferred form is accomplished by forcing a conical core or arbor into the cylindrical plate or shell, the latter being provided with a conical or tapering passage therethrough.

When the invention is carried out in this manner, the copper shell is provided with a longitudinal slit, and this slit is preferably on a line at an angle tothe aXis of the shell. ln other words, it makes an acute angle with the direction of motion of the plate, or with the cleaning blade therefor. |lhe purpose of this latter construction is to provide for permitting the plate to yield to permit its inside diameter to be increased', and the slanting directionv of the slit is employed for the purpose of preventing the cleaning blade which is used on intaglio printing surfaces, from dropping into the slit which would beI the case if the latter were straight across parallel with the axis. lt will be understood, of course, that this latter principle is applicable to the edges of flat or.

other printing plates.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a copper intaglio printing plate in the form of a cylindrical shell having a slit therein and illustrating one embodiment of this invention, the position of the cleaning blade also being shown. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of such a shell showing it as applied to'an arbor and illustrating a means for forcing vthe two bodies toward each other. .Fig 3 is a side elevation of a printing cylinder having a tapered surface showing another way in which printing plates may be applied thereto in accordance with this invention. Fig. 4 is a transverse section showing another form of the invention.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the printing plate or-member in the form of a copper shell a is shown as cut through or slit longitudinally, its inside being bored out on l arbor.

a taper to fit the arbor or core b which has a similar taper. The firstv time the shell is useditfhas the full diameter, but after it has-been once rreduced and retched it would bejtoo small.-l lThis reduction in diameter is compensated for by expanding the shell or plate, and providing means for rigidly backing it up. In the form of the invention illustratedl in the first two figures, this is accomplishedvby forcing the arbor farther into the shell, or the shell farther up on the Inthis casey the arboritself backs up the plate in its expanded position. I

, have shown a' convenient means for accomplishing this, consisting of a screw threaded projection f on the arbor, and a nut g fitting on the same and engaging the plate or shell. This nut can be screwed up to force the Q arbor and shell together and expand .the

latter. Obviously after the shell is so expanded it can bel turned off, polished, and

letched as usual, and it will be seen that the shell can be almost all used up without actually reducingits outside diameter. 'Ihe .slit Ic in the shell or channel between its edges will, ofcourse, gradually Widen, and as this invention is adapted for use with intaglio plates and'shells, it will be seen that astraight slit parallel with the axis of the armor or core would be a disadvantage, as it would allow the cleaning-blade 'd 'to drop into itonce in each revolution. Accordingly `I have provided means ifor preventing the cleaning-blade from entering the channel in thev printing member in this particular form, consisting in making the slit considerably out of parallelismwith the blade or j with the axis of the shell. In this way the blade will pass over the shell and there will be no position in which it can drop into the channel or silt. It will be seen also that Ihave provided a method of using substantially the full. thickness of the curved plate by expanding its outer curvature to a given circle after each reduction of its thickness, and ,keeping it up to. the printing line by supplying to it proportionate thicknesses of metal 0r other material.

In the species of the invention shown in Fig. 3,the plate bearing surface of the printing cylinder b4 is given a straight taper fromione end to the other and every printing plate a* is originally made with a corresponding inside taper, itsoutside surface of 'course constituting part of a cylinder. Now

each time the plate is reduced it is necessary backing piece e tapered circumferentially, which supports a printing plate a tapered circumferentially in -the .other direction. The coperating eccentrically curved contacting surfaces of the plate and backing piece c5 serve to maintain the printing surface after adjustment, substantially coincident with its position before adjustment.

yBoth the plate and backing piece may be secured to the cylinder in the usual fashion, but when the plate is reduced in thickness the shimv may be thrust about to the right thus raising the plate to the proper curvature without altering its' position on the cylinder.

While I have illustrated and described longitudinally adjustable thereon, whereby the plate may be supported with its inner surface at any desired distance from the axis of the core.

2..A printing member comprising'1 a conical core and a curved intaglio' printing plate having an inner conical surface, movably mounted thereon, whereby the distance.

of the inner surface of the plate from theA axis of the core may be varied by changing the position of the plate upon the core.

3. A printing member comprising a conical core,l and a cylindrical intaglio printing plate mounted thereon, said plate having conical or tapering bore therethrough and being longitudinally slit. l

4. A printing member comprising a conicalcore and a cylindrical printingplate mounted thereon, said plate having a conical or tapering bore therethrough and being longitudinally slit on 'a line at an angle with the axis of the shell.

-5. A printing member consisting of a conical or tapering core, a longitudinally slit plate having a cylindrical outer intaglio surface, and a conical'or tapering inner surface fitting said core, and means for forcing the plate and core' longitudinally with respect to ieach other to drive the plate up toward the larger'endof the core and expand the plate.

6. A printing member, consisting of a conical core having a bscrew'projectingfroinone end thereof, and an intaglio printing plate having a cylindrical youter surface and a conical or tapering inner surfacefitting the core, vsaid'plate being longitudinally slit,

and a nut engaging' said screw-threaded promensen m jection for forcing the plate up on the core to expand the plate.

7. An intaglio printing plate consisting of a cylindrical'shell longitudinally slit on a line at an acute angle with its axis, the edges of the' plate along the slit being Hush, whereby a cleaning blade can be used on it.

8. An intaglio printing surface having substantially meeting edges separated along a line oblique to the direction of movement of the cleaning blade, whereby the cleaning blade will be prevented from entering said separation.

9. An intaglio printing member separated along a line making an acute angle with the direction of motion of the plate or cleaning blade therefor.

10. A printing apparatus comprising a backing or supporting member having a higher surface at one edge than at the other,

and a printing member adjustable thereon toward the higher edge, whereby the printing member may be supported at any desired height.

11. A printing apparatus comprising a backing or supporting member, and a printing member, said two members being relatively adjustable upon each other, the contacting surface of one of the members being higher at one edge than at the other, whereby the printing member may be supported at any desired height.

In testimony whereof li have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. l

MARY E. MCCADDEN, ANNIE B. WALTERS.

Copies of this patent may be' obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 

